(continued)
1304 Words
Liam nudged me slightly, his voice careful but firm. “Alpha… maybe give them a week. They’ll cooperate faster if they feel some time.”
I didn’t look at him. I could feel my patience thinning, the aura around me pressing heat into the air. “A week?” I said flatly. “They don’t get to negotiate with me.”
The girl straightened, her small frame unyielding. “Three months. A legal notice. If not, I’ll see you in court.”
Three months.
Her words rang out like defiance against everything I embodied. She didn’t flinch. She didn’t hesitate. She didn’t even glance at me with fear.
I exhaled slowly, letting the heat of my aura settle just enough to keep control. Then, without another word, I turned. My guards flanked me as I walked back to my car. Every step deliberate, heavy.
Liam followed quietly, trying not to make a sound.
I slid into the driver’s seat, adjusting my cuffs, my eyes cold and calculating. “Send a legal notice,” I said, voice low, controlled. “Make it airtight. Three months exactly. No room for argument. And stop the work immediately.”
Liam nodded, glancing back toward the site. “Alpha… are you sure? I have never seen you give in to any one so quickly
I stared at him Coldly
He shook his head, chuckling under his breath. “Only you… only you could make obeying the law sound terrifying.”
I didn’t answer. My eyes returned to the site, to the small, fiery girl standing her ground. She looked fragile, barely more than a child—but the fire in her was undeniable.
And my wolf, deep inside, snarled in anticipation.
She was going to make this interesting.
And I liked interesting.The car rolled forward smoothly, Liam behind the wheel, eyes forward, hands tight on the wheel—but I wasn’t looking at him. My gaze stayed on the site, on her. That small, fiery human—or whatever she was—still standing her ground as the workers scurried away.
Liam spoke quietly, almost hesitant. “Alpha… I don’t think she’s human.”
I didn’t need to respond immediately. I could feel it too. The faint heat in the air, the way her aura pressed against mine even from a distance, like smoke curling around a flame.
“I sensed that,” I said finally, voice low and calm, edged with that quiet danger that made even Liam pause. “The moment she stepped forward.”
Humans had fear. It radiated off them in waves, weak and predictable.
She didn’t.
Her aura was sharp, burning, untamed—like molten steel restrained in flesh that looked too small to contain it.
Liam exhaled slowly, eyes flicking at me in the rearview mirror. “Her energy… it spiked when she started quoting laws at you. I swear, Alpha… standing near her is like standing near a bonfire.”
I leaned back, arms crossed, letting the heat of my own aura settle around me. Even my wolf stirred, low and hungry—but cautious. Something about her… was different. Dangerous.
Short. Fragile-looking. Barely eighteen. Human, by all appearances. Yet fire poured off her in waves strong enough to make the workers scatter.
“Find out who she is,” I said finally, my voice flat, controlled, lethal in its calmness. “Where she lives. Who raised her. And what the hell she really is.”
Liam’s hand tightened on the wheel. “Consider it done, Alpha.”
I didn’t answer. My eyes stayed fixed on the horizon, on that tiny, defiant figure standing in the middle of chaos.
Not human.
Not ordinary.
And not afraid.
For the first time in years, the unknown didn’t irritate me.
It fascinated me.
And I liked fascination
We drove back to the villa in silence, Liam keeping his focus on the road while I sat in the backseat, mind still flickering to the small, fiery girl. Even as her image lingered, the familiar weight of home grounded me.
When I arrived, I saw my mother bustling in the kitchen, arranging dinner. She froze for a moment, then her face lit up, beaming with excitement.
“Derrick!” she called softly, almost afraid to let her joy overwhelm her.
I stepped out, offering a simple nod and a curt, “Good evening, Mother.”
Her hands clasped together, excitement clear in every movement. “Your father told me the news the moment you left the council!” she said, eyes shining. “I’m so proud of you!”
I didn’t say much. A nod was enough. Words were unnecessary in moments like this.
The aroma of the food hit me as I stepped inside. Every dish carefully prepared—my favorites, down to the smallest detail. She had gone to all this effort.
I paused briefly, letting the comfort and familiarity wash over me before heading to my room to freshen up. A quick shower, change into casual wear—nothing extravagant, just enough to be presentable.
By the time I came downstairs, the dining area was perfectly set. My mother, father, and Liam were already seated. Plates gleamed under the soft lighting, the table arranged with precision and care.
I slid into my chair, posture straight, aura quiet but unmistakably dominant. My parents’ eyes followed me with pride, anticipation, and relief.
“Dinner looks excellent,” I said simply, scanning the table.
My mother smiled, a little too wide, eyes glimmering with pride. “I made everything you like. You’ve had a long day, Derrick.”
I nodded once, cold but appreciative. Liam chuckled softly beside me, already picking at his plate.
As the food was served
I had barely picked up my fork when my mother cleared her throat delicately—too delicately.
That was my first warning.
She only did that when she was about to say something I wouldn’t like.
“Derrick,” she began, her voice soft, careful, “your father and I discussed it earlier…”
My eyes lifted slowly, expression unreadable.
“…and we agreed that we should send the Seer and some of the elders to go and get your Luna.”
Silence dropped like a blade.
My fork hovered mid-air.
Liam froze beside me.
My father kept eating, pretending not to watch me—but he was.
A coldness settled over me, sharp and immediate.
My gaze snapped to my mother, and the air around me shifted—heavy, thick, unmistakably dangerous.
“My what?” I asked quietly.
My voice didn’t rise.
It didn’t need to.
The coldness in it made even the air feel colder.
My mother swallowed, but she didn’t back down. “Your Luna, Derrick. We can’t wait any longer. The Blood Moon—”
“I said I will handle it,” I cut in, voice like ice cutting through warm water.
My aura rolled out, slow but powerful, filling the room with pressure. Liam shifted slightly—he knew that aura. It meant I was seconds from snapping.
My mother clasped her hands. “Son, the curse—”
“I am perfectly aware of the curse,” I said, tone dead calm, which was always worse than me shouting.
“I don’t need a parade of elders dragging some girl to me like a purchase.”
My father finally looked up, meeting my eyes. “We’re only trying to help you.”
I leaned back slightly, jaw tightening, gaze flat and cold enough to freeze the entire table.
“Help,” I repeated. “By sending strangers to fetch a woman I haven’t even met?”
My aura thickened.
The lights seemed dimmer, the air heavier.
“I said I will handle it,” I repeated, voice low, final, lethal
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